Content warning: This article describes child sexual abuse. Please take care while reading.
Former Wisconsin elementary school teacher Madison Bergmann is facing a slew of charges related to the explicit abuse of a 5th-grade student. Now, Abigail Faust, Bergmann’s colleague at the school where she taught, is facing similar charges, and police now say Faust knew about Bergmann’s abuse but failed to report it to the police.
According to reports, both Bergmann, 25, and Faust, 24, resigned from the school where they taught in May 2025, around the same time Bergmann was arrested.
According to Wisconsin police, Faust is now accused of four criminal counts: failure to protect a child, causing mental harm to a child, child enticement, and sexual misconduct by a school staff member.
Faust’s accusations
Court documents allege Faust kissed a student, and a witness reported seeing “red flags” and believing Faust was flirting with the child. The criminal complaint states that the alleged victim, now 12, told authorities that Faust kept him after class, pushed him against a wall, and kissed his cheek, making him feel “uncomfortable and scared.”
The complaint also notes that he has become withdrawn and has “extreme emotional reactions that didn’t fit the situation.”
Also, according to court documents, prosecutors now allege that Faust was aware of the inappropriate relationship between her colleague, Bergmann, and a student but failed to report it to authorities.
Faust’s criminal complaint states that the alleged victim in Bergmann’s case told investigators that Faust knew about the relationship. Additionally, text messages recovered from Bergmann’s phone and computer reportedly showed that Bergmann and the student discussed the alleged relationship between Faust and a different student.
Faust was given a $10,000 signature bond and is due back in court in October 2025.
The Bergmann case
Bergmann, meanwhile, is facing 10 felony charges, including first-degree child sexual assault. Prosecutors allege that Bergmann exchanged thousands of texts with a 5th-grade student, referred to as “Victim 1” in court documents, including conversations about “making out.”
A forensic search of her phone and computer reportedly revealed over 35,000 text messages and emails between her and the student, many describing touching and kissing. She pleaded not guilty to all counts. A judge has ruled that her case will proceed to trial.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Published: Aug 20, 2025 04:53 pm